The Rebel Spy
by TheBlueDragon1556
Summary: A mission gone wrong should've been expected. Even the best of agents have their luck running out on them, but it was something he never took into consideration, not really. Being an Intelligence Agent in the Rebellion is a hard life, but life has never been kind to Cassian Andor, and the cause is one he would lay down his life for.
1. Chapter 1

A/N

Hello! First off, this is my very first fanfic, so any pointers or advice is appreciated.

I had the idea for the story come me to while I was reading the Rogue One novelization, but it took a couple of days to punch it all out. I expect to do maybe one more chapter just to finish things off.

So, without any further ado, here is my story. I hope you all enjoy!

Update as of 2/18/17 - I changed the first conversation between Kay and Mira. I was in such a mad rush to get the story published before I lost my nerve, I didn't take the time I should've to make everything right. I'm sure there still are some things that need fixing, which I will get to eventually. I'm just finishing up the second chapter, so it should be here soon, along with more. The story progressed in a way I wasn't really expecting, so we'll see how soon I get it done. I'm such a procrastinator...

The first thing Cassian was aware of was the loud ringing in his ears. Second was the smell; a thick ashy scent making him burst in a fit of coughing. When they finally subsided, he winced, surprised to find how much it had hurt.

Lastly, he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but fire and ruin.

He furrowed his eyebrows. What happened?

Cassian groaned as he lifted himself into a sitting position, which offered him a clearer view of where exactly he was. It looked like he was in some sort of shuttle. An Imperial shuttle he realized as he gazed at the dead stormtrooper in front of him.

The ship was in tatters. Loose cables sparked above him, and fires burned intensely on anything flammable. There were two other bodies with him. Another stormtrooper and a human male dressed like a civilian.

So, he was a prisoner then?

Cassian cursed at himself for his lack of memory. So instead he tried to focus on leaving wherever he was. Where there were two dead troopers, more were bound to come to investigate. And Cassian didn't want to be there when they did.

He bit back a cry as he tried to lift himself into a standing position, pain radiating intensely through his entire body. He eased himself back down and looked over himself for injuries. Cassian winced at what he saw.

His entire right leg was peppered with small shrapnel, but the real concern was the large piece of metal embedded in his stomach. He felt the bile rise up his throat, and he resisted the sudden urge to threw up.

He really got himself into a jam this time, didn't he?

Or did he? He couldn't remember.

But Cassian was alive, which was more than he could say for the other passengers on the ship. Which was something of a miracle in and of itself. Or the Force, he thought with a wry smile.

Cassian didn't really believe in the Force, but it had become something of a token within the Rebellion. More of a, 'good luck,' than anything. But neither luck nor the Force would get him out of this mess.

He grit his teeth as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. Pulling shrapnel out of a wound wasn't always the best of ideas, and oftentimes caused more harm than good, but Cassian didn't see any other alternative. If he was going to get off the ship, it had to come out.

He tried to steady his breathing while he wrapped his hands around the warm metal and started a mental countdown.

One. Breath, don't hold it in.

Two. Steady, don't loosen your grip.

On three he pulled upwards, hissing and trying hard not to scream as a wave of hot pain pulsed through him. He pressed one hand down on the wound, trying to stop the sudden flow of blood. He took in deep, shuddering breaths and closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall suddenly feeling exhausted. His body was shutting down from the shock, but he couldn't afford that to happen.

Cassian moaned as he tried to pull himself up, finding it a useless effort as his body refused to cooperate.

"Okay." He murmured to himself. "New plan."

He tried racking his brain for anything, but his thoughts were growing sluggish, and he was having a hard time focusing.

"Cassian?" A voice called beyond the wreckage. "Are you alive?"

Cassian would've laughed if it didn't hurt so much. Kay-too was oftentimes too blunt for his own good, a byproduct he supposed of his reprogramming.

"I'm in here!" He called out, although it came out much fainter than he would've liked. He wasn't sure at first if the droid heard him, but all doubts were cleared away as the seven foot machine eased his way into the wreckage. He looked at his master with a cocked head.

"You don't look well." Kay-too stated.

And why would you say that? Cassian almost responded, but he needed answers, not a sassy retort.

"Where are we?" He asked instead.

"You don't remember?"

Cassian shook his head. Talking took up too much breathing, and breathing at the moment hurt.

"We are on Corellia, to gather information on the new TIE fighter." Kay-too told him.

That definitely sounded right, as a memory slowly started to emerge. Cassian remembered going undercover at the factory, and being able to transfer the schematics to a data card. But after that everything was fuzzy.

"Kay-too, what happened?" He asked.

The droid's next words almost sounded like a reprimand. "You had insisted on going alone and leaving me at the ship while you retrieved the data. But I was listening to Imperial broadcasts and heard a Rebel skirmish was going on. I thought you might need my help. Obviously, you did."

Cassian let out a long suffering sigh. "We need to get out of here before more stormtroopers come to investigate."

"Can you stand?" Kay-too asked.

Cassian winced and shook his head. "No."

The droid looked at him for a brief moment before coming to a conclusion. "Then I must carry you."

Before Cassian could say anything against it, Kay-too already had him in his lanky arms. It was a little awkward, but he figured it was the best that could be done at the moment.

The ship groaned as Kay-too exited it, and Cassian blinked at the sudden rush of daylight. He considered his options.

They could return to the ship, and from there to Yavin IV, but Cassian doubted if he would survive the trip in his current state. But if this was indeed Corellia, he knew of several safe houses they could hide out at. With medical supplies.

He gazed at the street they were on, but pulled a blank of where exactly in Corellia they were.

Kay-too seemed to read his thoughts. "We're in Coronet City, near the market square."

Cassian nodded. "We need to get to Veria sector, there's a house there we can stay at."

"That is quite a distance, and there is fighting going on in that general direction." The droid stated in a dubious tone.

"What other choice do we have?" Cassian grit his teeth as a fresh wave of pain hit him.

Kay-too made no comeback, but instead started at a quick jog Cassian hoped was in the right direction. The droid's long strides ate up the distance at a rapid pace, but Cassian lurched and jostled in his hold, making him hiss in pain.

"Kay!" He managed to gasp out. "Going- too fast. Slow- down."

The droid slowed his jog to more of an even walk and looked down at his master. "I'm sorry, Cassian."

He only grimaced. He was finding it harder to stay awake, and the pain, although still there, had turned into more of an aching throb. The world was going around in him at an odd tilt, and he found his vision going in and out of focus.

Concussion, he came to the decision. And who knows what else?

"Kay, try to keep me awake."

The droid placed a mechanical eye on him. "I predict a ninety-five percent chance your wounds will become infected, leaving a seventeen percent chance of your survival."

"That's not helping."

If a droid could have shrugged, Kay-too would've done it. "You only asked me to keep you awake." Cassian sighed, too tired to respond. After a brief moment of silence, Kay-too spoke up again.

"Depending on the metal fragments and their staggering, there's a high chance that your leg will have permanent nervous damage." "Kay." Cassian managed weakly. The droid must not have heard him as he continued.

"And the wound on your abdomen is bleeding profusely. If it is not sutured it is quite possible you will bleed to death." "Kay." This time was a little louder, and the droid looked down at him. "I don't want to hear it."

Kay-too almost sighed. "Very well."

Cassian couldn't blame him. It was the only way the droid knew how to show compassion; by rattling off probabilities and statics of how they, or more specifically him, were going to die. He almost smiled. At least someone cared.

He was suddenly jolted awake as blaster bolt blew past them and exploded into a plaster wall. He looked ahead to see a staggering row of rebels give ground to the Imperial force in front of them, a wall of blindingly white armor and- he blinked. A tank?

"They must be desperate." Kay-too said behind him. Cassian wasn't sure if he was talking about the rebels or the Imperials. Either way, it was getting dangerous to stay here.

Before he could mention as much to the droid, Kay had already made a detour down a narrow alley. As the sounds of battle grew fainter, the droid made another turn down a street, placing them right behind the Imperial troops.

"Not much further." Kay-too assured his master.

"Hey!" The harsh, almost mechanical voice of a stormtrooper stopped the droid dead in his tracks. "Where are you going? The fighting's that way."

"I, uh." Kay-too stammered on his words and Cassian winced.

The trooper looked around Kay-too at the crippled form of the rebel captain in his arms. "Who is that?"

"Oh, him? He's a, uh-"

Cassian winced again. Kay-too blew it. He didn't need to see the trooper as he raised his hand to his com-link to alert the others to their presence. But the stormtrooper never got the chance as a blaster bolt sounded out and landed squarely on his chest. He fell with a muffled cry as a pale trail of smoke rose from his scorched armor.

A woman rose from the rubble surrounding the street, a dark hood covering most of her face. Her dark eyes glanced at the pair and she made a sharp gesture with her head.

"Come." Her voice was flat, commanding.

Kay-too looked down at his master, who sighed and nodded his head.

They followed her at a slightly quickened pace, the droid careful not to jostle Cassian too much. The woman kept her blaster up and her eyes peeled, only stopping for short moments at corners as she scanned the area ahead.

Cassian tried his best to keep track of where they were going, but found it was becoming difficult to do anything. He kept wanting to close his eyes, and his hand was starting to slip from pressing down on his stomach. Not good signs, he mused to himself.

Before long, the woman stopped near a doorway and leaned against the frame, her weapon up and menacing.

"Get in, quickly."

Kay-too had to stoop to even get through the doorway, and the woman waited for a moment before following.

The room was dark, with only a few meager rays of sunshine coming through slits in the curtains. The woman locked and bolted the door behind her, and turned to face them, pulling off her hood at the same time.

Her face might've been beautiful if not for the large burn covering half of it. Her eyes were dark and challenging, as if she wanted them to ask about it and punch them for their troubles. Her hair was a dull brown and was tied in a tight knot at the back of her neck.

She gestured sharply towards Cassian. "Who are you?"

He let Kay-too speak for him. "What's it to you?"

The woman's finger twitched on the trigger of her blaster, and a low frown crossed her features. "Seeing how I just saved your lives, I think I deserve a few answers. Now are you going to tell me, or do I have to toss you back out?"

Kay-too was silent, calculating different replies he could give her, Cassian knew. Thankfully, he didn't take long to choose one.

"How do we know you can be trusted?"

If possible, Mira's frown darkened even further. "Look, I just don't go shooting Imps for kicks. If I risked my life for some deserters, I might as well kill you myself."

Kay-too looked down at Cassian and came to a decision. "He is Captain Andor, Rebel Intelligence. And who might you be?"

The woman gave a short bark of laughter and holstered her blaster. "A rebel spy, I might've known. The name's Mira, Mira Ortooga."

"Well, Mira Ortooga, do you have any medical supplies? I fear the Captain is severely injured." Kay-too's tone was condescending, which Cassian supposed was from Mira's lack-luster attitude.

She straightened and leveled a glare at the droid, her fingers dropping and lingering on the hilt of her blaster. "Yeah, I do."

"Then could you provide them?"

Cassian heard Mira mumble as she turned to gather them, something about Imperial droids never changing. He groaned as Kay-too placed him as gently as he could on a nearby table.

"Here are your medical supplies, oh…" Her voice trailed off as she gazed at Cassian. "Karabast, why didn't you tell me he was this bad?"

"I did." Was Kay-too's curt reply.

Mira cursed softly as she removed Cassian's blood soaked shirt, revealing a gaping red line still oozing with crimson blood.

"This is not good." She murmured to herself. "All I have are patches, not the whole damn bacta tank." She glanced at Kay-too. "Watch over him, I have a few extra things to grab."

"I wasn't intending to leave."

"Kay." Cassian was surprised to find how weak his voice was. "Don't make her angry, she's just trying to help."

"But she thought that I would leave. Any droid who would abandon his master should be dismantled. And I am not any droid."

At this point Mira had returned with an armful of odds and ends, placing them near Cassian's head. She picked one up and flicked a switch, igniting a burst of blue flame. Kay-too cocked his head at her.

"What are you planning on doing?"

"We have to get the bleeding stopped somehow, and I don't have anything else to do that with." Mira replied while picking up another item. A vibroblade, Cassian noted distantly, the fire sending ripples of light across it. She held the blade over the flame until it turned white hot, and when she pulled it back it deepened to a fiery orange.

She looked at him with what could've been pity in her eyes. "I'm really sorry about this."

Before he could even process what she planned to do, Mira placed the burning knife against his stomach and held it there.

Cassian tried hard not to cry out, but the pain was so intense, so sudden that he couldn't help himself. Thankfully, the scream was short and when the blade was finally pulled back he found himself gasping for breath.

Mira offered him a small smile and squeezed his shoulder in assurance. "Not so bad, huh?"

"That was not very funny." Kay-too stated.

Mira chose to ignore him, as she proceeded to open up bacta patches and place them on the newly seared cut. She secured them with bandages and then continued down to his leg. Taking up a pair of scissors, she cut along the side and carefully rolled up the cloth, wincing as she looked at the metal fragments staggering the whole length of his leg.

"Okay, not as bad as the other one." She murmured to herself.

Cassian found himself drifting in and out of unconsciousness as his leg was being tended to, but he was surprised he was able to hold on as long he did.

When she was finally finished tending to her patient, Mira sighed wearily and slumped on a nearby chair.

"Didn't know what I was doing half the time." She murmured to herself as she rubbed her temple.

"That's very reassuring." Kay-too's droll tone made her head snap up at him.

"Kay." Cassian's weary reprimand thankfully didn't fall on deaf ears, as the droid offered a mumbled apology, although it didn't sound very convincing. But there was something nagging on the tip of his memory. Something important, something to do with why they were here in the first place. Then it came to him.

"Kay." He said again, his voice urgent. "The plans. You have to get them to the Alliance."

"I will not leave you, Cassian."

Cassian sighed at Kay-too's obstinate tone. "Yes, you will. The survival of the fleet depends on them having those schematics."

"But you are still hurt."

"So you'll have to come back for me." Cassian grit his teeth. It was getting harder to stay awake, and he needed Kay-too to do this for him. "I won't be able to go anywhere for a couple of days. Which is time the fleet doesn't have. Figure a day to get there, and a day to get back. By that time, things will have calmed down and I'll be able to move to the ship."

The droid was silent for several minutes before he responded. "Do you remember where you put them?"

Cassian's mind suddenly pulled a blank. He blamed it on blood loss. "Put what?"

"The data card."

Oh. Yes. Weren't they just talking about that?

"Try my left boot."

He barely felt it as the boot was slipped off, and the world around him was becoming a foggy haze. He vaguely heard Kay-too's voice telling him he would come back, and his low threat to Mira.

"If anything happens to the Captain-"

"I know, I know." She cut him off. "Don't worry, I'll look after him." Mira added more softly, so soft Cassian wasn't sure if he heard it or not before the world around him became completely black, and he slipped again into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello there! Sorry this has taken so long for me to publish, but the story went in way I didn't expect. It will probably continue for a couple more chapters, that way it can get the ending it deserves.

I want to thank all the people who favorited, followed, and left reviews! It really encouraged me to continue writing. And in answer to Sonny J's question, fanfiction (at the moment) is my only outlet for all my geeky outpourings.

As always, I hope you enjoy this next installment, and leave reviews if you have any thoughts or comments. Thank you!

* * *

Chapter 2

Kay-too was not happy.

He had done everything Cassian asked him to. He made it to the ship in relative time meeting only little resistance, which was good, considering the amount of stormtroopers swarming the city, and he had delivered the schematics to Dravin at the rebel base. Yet, when the droid had asked permission to retrieve his master, they refused him.

"No." Was General Dravin's blunt reply.

"But the Captain-" Kay-too started, but he was cut short with a brief wave of a hand.

"Captain Andor knew what he was getting into when he joined the Alliance, and I can't afford to send another ship to Corellia at the moment. The planet is in an uproar." And Dravin turned to talk to another operative, leaving Kay-too no opportunity to say anything else.

Kay-too could understand the man's reasoning, but it didn't mean he had to like it. The droid had patiently explained to them the state he left Cassian in, and the questionable woman, Mira Ortooga, who he had left the Captain in care of. They merely offered the droid a kind smile, lost on a non-organic being, and told him the matter was out of their hands at the moment. If it wasn't hardwired into his component matrix, or if he was an organic, Kay-too would've disobeyed their orders and gone straight back.

But it _was_ hardwired into him, and he _wasn't_ an organic, so Kay-too did what droids do best. He waited.

He kept near the hanger, on the edge of the tarmac so he could keep an eye on both land and sky. To pass the time, Kay-too came up with probabilities with what might happen to Cassian.

The most likely one, it had an eighty-six percent chance, was stormtroopers would assault the safe house, effectively taking Cassian and Mira hostage. Then they would be tortured, and then they would die.

The second probability, a forty-three percent chance, was Cassian wouldn't get the proper medical attention he needed and would die in a matter of days. He preferred not to contemplate on either option too much.

Another one, with only a seven percent chance, had Mira as an Imperial Spy, with Kay-too making a terrible mistake leaving Cassian with her. It also left the option for revenge, something the droid wasn't necessarily programed for, but one he would gladly fulfill. He kept contemplating it, coming up with different scenarios on how Mira would pay for her crimes.

Kay-too was still in the process of one calculation when an officer walked up to him and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Kay-too Es-oh? He asked, peering up to the droid's head.

"Yes." Kay replied.

"Captain Andor's droid?" The officer further elaborated.

He was stalling, Kay-too determined as much. There was only one person in the entire Rebel base with a reprogrammed Imperial droid. "Yes."

"I thought I should tell you, the Empire has placed a blockade around Corellia. Apparently, the rebels there really did a number on them. We won't be able to send any ships to retrieve Captain Andor."

Kay-too merely nodded. He had seen the rebels fighting on Corellia, and he didn't think they posed much of a threat. He figured the Empire wanted to keep one of it's largest assets safe and simultaneously send a message. Corellia was the one of the major shipyards all the Imperial Fleet came from, and if they broke away from the Empire, others might follow.

The officer was still looking at him, waiting for a reply, so Kay-too gave him one. "Very well."

The man looked surprised. Apparently, he had expected more of an outburst, one you might assume from an Imperial Droid.

If Kay-too could sigh, he would've done it. He constantly found his expectations for organics slowly descending into near impossible levels. Most of the rebels at the base walked around him on cushions, like he was some sort of bomb about to go off. Which, he supposed, was only to be expected. After all, he was once their enemy.

Cassian was something of an exception. He wasn't like anyone on base. As far as friends went, he had none, at least none that met the requirements in Kay's database. Family? Dead. And he processed things differently than other humans; more logical, more statistical, more…droid-like, Kay thought with a tilt of his head.

Besides, he was his master, and Kay-too was entitled to the opinion Cassian was the better specimen of the human race.

Thankfully, the officer left without any further comment, and Kay-too was left alone once again. With the new information provided him, the droid re-examined his statistics, finding the percentages marginally higher. But for all his highly sophisticated programming, no statistics he could come up with would help Cassian.

As time moved on, the shadows grew along the wall, and Kay-too remained at his post. Soon, the shadows faded away altogether, replaced by the harsh blue glow of synthetic lights. The droid briefly contemplated whether he should shut down and decided against it. He wasn't in the way, and no one but Cassian gave him orders. He would remain.

Dawn shown hours later, the sky a brilliant display of soft yellows and blues pushing away the dark night sky. The base slowly started to wake, the hanger soon filling with pilots and servicemen starting their daily duties. A few cast sidelong glances at the droid, but left him alone.

Expect for General Dravin, who strode towards Kay-too with a heavy scowl etched across his face. He stopped a few feet in front of the droid.

"The girl, Mira Ortooga, is on the transmission. She won't speak to anyone but you."

That was not a probability Kay-too had come up with.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Cassian woke up with a low moan, feeling stiff and sore. He blinked, trying to adjust his vision to the dim room, but there wasn't much to see. The room was bare, only a few pieces of trash bunched up in the corners. Hushed voices came from beyond his line of sight, and Cassian turned his neck to listen.

"We have to keep pushing forward." A gruff voice spoke. "We've come too far to back down now."

"And risk losing everything in the process? It's not worth it." The second voice sounded older.

The man's next words sounded strained. "It would be better to die trying than hide like cowards."

"And then what? Haunt the Emperor as ghosts? You're a good soldier, Cal, but you can't see anything past your own glorious death. What future will there be for the Insurrection?"

Cassian didn't have to see the scowl to know one was there. "What will you have me do, Lars? Like you said, I'm a soldier. I don't do sitting down."

Whatever Lars was going to say next was lost as a face suddenly loomed over Cassian, a gruesome smile stretching across a burnt face. He shouldn't have been surprised, but in the uncertain light Mira's face appeared more ominous than before. Or it could be it always looked that way. He was half conscious when they first met after all.

"Welcome to the land of the living."

Cassian offered a faint smile. "Good to be back."

She moved down to check on his bandages. "You were unconscious for quite a while, even after the blood transfusion. I wasn't sure if you would wake up."

Cassian frowned. "You sound like my droid. How long was I out?'"

"Eight hours."

Eight hours. His mind was a whirlwind of different scenarios of what could've transpired during that time, but only one really concerned him.

He tried to lift himself up. "Is Kay-"

Mira silenced him with a glare and pushed him down with a nod. "Gone. Soon after you konked out."

Cassian sighed and leaned his head back down. "Good, I was afraid he wouldn't listen."

Mira smiled, but it was so fleeting a movement he wasn't sure if he saw it or not, as it then took on what seemed to be her usual frown. "They'll want to question you."

Cassian didn't question who 'they' were. He had heard something of a rebel cell starting on Correlia, although this was the first he's heard it been given name, the Insurrection. He also knew that all initial contact with them had been unsuccessful, which could mean one of two things; they had no interest in the larger struggle against the Empire, or they were too radical even for the Alliance.

"I wouldn't tell them about the droid." Mira spoke under her breath.

Cassian was about to press her for more answers, but the footfalls of Lars and Cal approached and the two men came into his line of sight.

The younger of the pair Cassian assumed was Cal. Forty-ish and a buzz cut to boot, his face was hard with two pale lines running from his cheek down to his throat. His clothes were covered rubble, and he had a KX-80 repeating rifle slung across his back. He stopped by Mira and crossed his arms.

Lars walked with a slight limp and smiled at Cassian. "I see our guest is awake."

His face was pleasant enough, but his eyes told a different story. They were a cold, clear blue and spoke of a fierceness that seemed to transmit to every fiber of his body. Cassian had seen men like him before, not every encounter ending well.

Lars was still smiling. "Captain Andor, is it?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Lars motioned to Mira, who turned and brought a stool over to him. The older man sat down with a grateful sigh and leaned a palm against his right knee. He tapped the other one.

"Sometimes it bothers me. Old wounds never seem to heal right."

Cassian only nodded again.

Lars let the silence drag on before continuing, a tactic Cassian would sometimes use himself. Make your target uncomfortable, unsure where the interrogation would go. Or, he thought, it could be he was just being paranoid, but in his line of work it was better to take everything in perspective.

Lars sighed and slapped his knee. "I don't believe in wasting time beating around the bush, so I'll get right to it. Mira says you're a rebel spy. Care to tell us exactly what you were doing here?"

Spying, Cassian almost retorted. Instead he said, "What every good operative does; gather information."

Lars leaned forward in his seat, something dark flashing across his eyes. "Alone, I hope?"

Every good lie has some truth, and Cassian had been doing it long enough to become a master. "No. I had a droid."

He could see Mira tense, but other than that, she showed no visible sign she was concerned.

"I see." Lars stroked his steel beard. "And this droid is-"

"Gone." Cassian interrupted, then elaborated. "He was destroyed in the crossfires. All what's left is a heaping ruin of metal and circuits."

"How unfortunate." Cal's rough voice cut in.

Cassian turned to face him with a frown. "Yes, it was. He was a valuable droid."

"Cal." Lars tapped the man's arm. "Could you give me an update on our forces?"

Cal looked like he was about to argue, but instead thought better of it and gave a sharp nod. He slipped out the door, the light outside illuminating the room for a second before being drawn back in shadows. The sudden burst of light sent jabs of pain through Cassian's head, and he closed his eyes with a wince.

"My apologies. I had forgotten you are only just recovering from your injuries. A few more questions and I will leave you to rest." Lars sounded sincere, and Cassian didn't doubt he was. He grunted, hoping it relayed clearly enough he would continue.

Obviously, it did, as the older man leaned forward and spoke his next words in a hushed tone. "Where were you gathering your information? The Academy? The shipyard?"

Cassian briefly considered whether or not he should divulge the information with Lars. Whatever the older man wanted from him, Lars didn't trust Cal enough to bring it up when he was around. Mira, on the other hand, had no such restrictions. She must have some special sort of connection with Lars, Cassian thought. Daughter, sister- it was impossible to tell with her disfigurement.

Cassian came to a decision. His mission was already all but finished, if Kay-too made it back to base in one piece. Sharing where he was wouldn't endanger the outcome. And besides, he thought grimly, he couldn't really refuse in his position.

"The factory." Cassian answered, ninety-nine percent sure that was the truth. He was only just regaining the memories eluding him after the crash, and the factory made the most sense.

Lars blue eyes sparked. "While you were there, did you come across anything under the name of 'Black Star?'"

Cassian frowned, running and cross-referencing the name through memory and coming up with nothing.

"No." He answered. "What is it?"

Lars scowled darkly and moved away. "None of your concern.

I'll leave you now, Captain."

The man stood from his seat and nodded to Mira. Cassian closed his eyes at the second dose of light, and winced as something pricked his arm.

"What was that?"

Mira held up an empty syringe. "A sedative. For the pain, and the slight temperature you're running. After all the trouble I went to keeping you alive, I would hate for you to die on me now."

He could already feel the drug start to work, as any notion of pain slipped to the farthest reaches of his mind and the world around him took a warm glow. It's all just an illusion, Cassian told himself, the sense of comfort only dulled his senses. He was still in the middle of a war zone, confirmed by the distant booms of Imperial cannons, and it wouldn't do to have his mind as weakened as his body. So instead he focused on his pain, the hard metal table he was on, the dull throb of cauterized wound on his abdomen.

Cassian turned his head to Mira. "Why didn't you want me to tell them about Kay-too?"

She frowned as she put away the medical supplies. "A precaution. They might've been less likely to trust you. These are dangerous times, and Cal has been on edge ever since the last incident."

Cassian blinked away the haze creeping along the edge of his vision. "And Black Star? Do you know what it is?"

"No, but I wish I did." Mira's voice was strained. "Lars has been fixated on it for months. Whatever it is, it's big."

"Does Cal know about it?"

Mira squinted her dark eyes at him. "Why ask? You know what, never mind. No more questions about Black Star. I can't tell you what I don't know."

Cassian sighed and closed his eyes. "Fine, then lets talk about something else. How did you get caught up in the Insurrection?"

Mira smirked. "So you were listening to them."

Cassian smiled back. "Of course I was. Are you going to answer the question?"

She leaned back, the smile slipping from her lips. "It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Mira's lips twitched upwards. "No, I guess not."

Her face fell and she looked at the wall beyond Cassian, her eyes a distant glaze. When she glanced at him again, they were filled with something else, something he was altogether too familiar with; hurt.

"I used to work at the shipyard, inspecting the vessels and their cargo. It was pretty simple; I would catch a couple of smugglers, send a few honest travelers on their way. Same as it's always been. Until some Imperial officers come to me and have me start arresting people. I didn't ask questions, it wasn't my job to. But that all changed when they had me pick up a family. They had a boy, couldn't have been older than four." Mira paused, and twirled a loose thread from her shirt. When she continued, her voice was soft. "They killed his parents, said they were traitors and conspirators, and left their son to die on the streets. And I couldn't do anything about it."

She looked at him, a fire growing in her eyes, and the gruesome smile returned. "So then I did the one thing I could: I fought back. Small things here and there, but then I got ambitious, decided to blow up the shipyard."

"Did you?" Cassian asked when she didn't continue.

Mira chuckled. "I tried. It backfired on me, and blew off half my face in the process. That's when Lars found me, half dead in the wreckage. He saved my life, and gave a name to my cause. Our cause."

"The Insurrection." Cassian added softly.

Mira nodded. She stood there for a while, nothing more spoken between them. Then she left his line of sight and returned shortly with a blanket. She draped the black cloth over Cassian and glanced at his eyes briefly before dropping them to the floor.

"It gets cold." Mira said, and shrugged a shoulder. "Thought you might need it."

A corner of his mouth lifted and he nodded. "Thank you."

Mira smiled, a genuine one that reached up to her eyes. "You're welcome."

Her eyes flicked to the side and she brought a hand up to her ear, listening in on her com-link. She nodded. "On my way."

Mira glanced at Cassian with an apologetic shrug. "Duty calls. I won't be long."

She didn't wait for him to make any comment before she slipped out the door. He heard the magnetic click of the lock, then the soft tread of her boots leading away.

Cassian closed his eyes with a sigh. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his 'hosts,' or even what exactly he was mixed up in. The Insurrection, by all appearances, was in the midst of a power play, with him caught in-between.

But he was so tried, he couldn't think everything through properly. He needed to find a way to get off the planet, he knew already he couldn't count on Dravin to allow Kay to come back for him. But how, in his weakened state, and his mind all in a fog, was the real question.

Cassian wanted to trust Mira, felt he could, but if all the years spent in Rebel Intelligence have taught him anything, it was this: trust no one.

After a while, he allowed himself to drift into an uneasy sleep, he wasn't quite sure for how long.

The sudden bang of the door jolted him awake, and he turned his head to see Mira and several others rush in. Dust clung to them like parasites, and one particular young trooper's eyes bulged. Even with the rubble covering him, he looked green.

"What happened?" Cassian asked, glancing at each member.

Mira's lips were in a firm line, and she looked about ready to murder someone. "They're coming."


End file.
